First Ultrasound

Yesterday we went to have our first ultrasound done.

We were expecting to see our little peanut and hear it's heartbeat.

We got in, and first the tech said that because the baby is so small, my uterus was still moving away from the camera. She said to get some better pictures, she'd like to do a vaginal ultrasound.

No biggie.

We did see my uterus...and the small black circle which will turn into the amniotic sac...but that was it. She asked about my periods and whatnot, and then she said that it just looked like I was earlier than they originally thought. She said it looked fine, that everything was developing, but it was just too early still to see the baby. She said from what it looked like on the ultrasound, I was probably more like 5 1/2 - 6 weeks instead of 7 almost 8 weeks which is what they told me last week when I was in.

We then went to talk to the PA who had the results from my blood work. She said everything came back normal. No anemia, no foreign antibodies to attack the baby, no HIV...

In case anyone suspected I might have HIV?

She agreed that I was just a little earlier than they originally thought. She said it's not uncommon that women ovulate later than usual and it was no big deal. I told her it wouldn't surprise me with how thrown off and irregular my periods have been for the past year and a half. She told me to come back in 2 weeks and we will do another ultrasound, and by then we should definitely be able to see the baby and hear the heart beat. Then at the next ultrasound, when we see the baby, they should be able to give me a more accurate due date and gestational age.

So, it wasn't what we were expecting, and I was disappointed, but everything is still ok according to them. I will just look forward to August 4th when I will for sure get to see the little one growing inside of me.

Big News!!!

That's right...

The much anticipated announcement that so many have been wondering about for months...

We're PREGNANT!!!

We are so happy and excited words can't really describe our feelings now! I took the test Saturday morning after discussing my increased eating habits, weird feelings in my abdomen, not to mention my being almost 2 weeks late.

I didn't think much about being late because after going off the pill last March (2009), I had only had 3 periods in almost a year. So, when I didn't get one in June, I didn't give it too much thought...until I started having some of these other symptoms.

The timing could not have been better. Honestly, I have been off the pill for almost a year and a half, and since that was our only form of birth control, I technically could have gotten pregnant anytime over the past year. I have no doubt that this came when it was supposed to. It was too coincidental that I went off the pill in March 2009, and then was so annoyingly irregular for a year that it would have been just about impossible for me to get pregnant anyway. Then, all on it's own, my body just went back to being regular this April. Normal April period, normal May period...then no June. I know that Heavenly Father was waiting to send this little baby to us at the right time so that we could put all our effort and attention on him/her and not be so distracted and bogged down with school, moving, etc. I am now completely done with school, we are totally moved out of Tucson, I had an interview for a job as an RDH on Friday, Dan just started a new job that pays more and is much closer to home yesterday...the timing really couldn't have been any better.

I have been waiting to go to the Dr. to make an official announcement to the world, and today was the day. I went and had my first OB visit/exam and it was confirmed. Without having done an ultrasound and just going on dates and what my body feels like to the Dr., I am 6 weeks along due on March 3, 2011 I have to go get blood work done sometime this week, and we go back for an ultrasound/sonogram next Tuesday!!

I cannot describe the feelings I have running through me at this point. There is so much of everything; excitement, happiness, joy, gratitude, humility, nervousness, love...just to name a few. I feel so incredibly blessed and honored to be able to nurture, love and raise one of Heavenly Father's precious children. In some ways I feel so inadequate to be a mother, but at the same time I know and have committed to do everything in my power to raise this baby the best way I know how. I know that if I can do that, He will make up for my shortcomings.

I am excited for this journey in our lives. I know that we will grow immensely from it and find such great joy in starting our family!

Watch for more updates next week after the ultrasound & sonogram! As for now, I'm off to sleep/eat. :)

Pinning

It is tradition for a Dental Hygiene class to have a pinning ceremony to celebrate their accomplishments as a class with their program faculty.

We scheduled ours for about 2 weeks after our graduation with the school. It was held June 1, 2010 at the Westin La Paloma Resort. It was quite the celebration, with everything from discounted hotel rooms to $55 tickets for our guests. My class paid for all of us and 1 guest for each of us. Everyone else had to buy their own tickets.

My grandma was in town from Chicago, and was very excited to attend. I also had my mom and brother Alan come along with my sweet husband, of course. I bought a new dress and shoes for the occasion and had a very enjoyable time with my classmates and family.

It was a little bit unfortunate because by the time June 1st rolled around, I had been done with school, boards, everything for almost a month and was pretty much moved on with my life. It was nice to spend the evening with my classmates and our families, but at the same time I had thoughts of finding a house, moving, getting my license, finding a new job, my husband finding a new job, etc. running through my head all night. I tried to just let all those things go for a few hours and just enjoy the evening.

I was recognized for being the Hospitality committee chair. We watched an adorable slide show of our two years in school together. Listened to a few speeches from some of our faculty and colleagues. Ate a dinner that was very good (I'm not sure if it was $55 good, but it was good). Enjoyed the ice cream bar, as well as some dancing and catching up.

We all left around 10 pm since everyone except Dan and I would be driving back to Mesa/Chandler that night. Alan and my grandma left together, and my mom left shortly after them, probably around 10:15 or so.

Dan and I returned home, put our PJs on, and were sitting in bed on our computers (facebook, etc.) when I got a chilling phone call.

It was my mom.

Mom: "Jill? It's Mom. I got in an accident and I'm sitting in a ditch on the side of the freeway. I didn't know who else to call since everyone at home is probably asleep."

Jill: "Ok mom, it's alright. Are you ok? We're putting our shoes on right now. Where are you?"

Mom: "Yeah, I guess I'm ok. My right side hurts, but I'm not bleeding or anything. I don't really know where I am, I'm sitting in my Jeep and all I know is that I'm looking at the Toltec bridge from where I am. I called 911 like 15 minutes ago, and no one is here yet."

Jill: "Ok, we're leaving right now. We'll get there as fast as we can."

First of all, for those of you who may not be quite as familiar with the stretch of I-10 between Phoenix and Tucson as we are, Toltec is in Eloy, AZ which is about 5-10 miles south of Casa Grande. She was about half way home. This also meant that it would take us about 45 minutes to get to her.

We got in the car and drove as fast as we could without being pulled over. I called my step-dad's cell phone in the process. My mom hadn't called him in fear she would wake up my 9 year old sister with Down Syndrome who only sleeps about 4 hours per night.

He asked me what happened and I explained to him what my mom had told me.

She was driving in the right lane of I-10, after just stopping the exit previous to get gas and a Coke. Then, out of no where, there was a huge noise, almost like an explosion, and something slammed into the back of her Jeep Grand Cherokee. Due to her speed (75 mph) and the speed of the car that hit her (at least 75 mph) the impact sent her into a violent spin in the middle of the interstate. Luckily there were no other vehicles around at that point, because she said that she spun completely around at least twice and remembers seeing the headlights of the oncoming traffic behind her. Upon seeing that in the first spin, she closed her eyes, kept her foot slammed on the brake as hard as she could, and held onto the steering wheel for dear life. The next thing she knew, she was sitting in her Jeep in a cloud of dust along the side of the interstate. The vehicle that hit her...on the other side, in the median of the interstate.

The car behind her, which was a small Chevy Malibu or something similar, had a tire blow suddenly, which projected her car into the back of my mom's Jeep and sent them both spinning like tops on the freeway.

No one is really sure how it is that my mom's Jeep did not roll. If no where else, it should have when it went off the road and down into the ditch on the side of the road. It was a pretty steep drop from the interstate down into the ditch, and if she was still spinning like she was, which all the marks in the dirt and on the asphalt say she was, there should have been nothing stopping her Jeep from toppling over and rolling into the ditch.

She definitely had Angels watching over her that night...

My mom's Jeep was towed into Casa Grande and left at the repair shop there until her insurance had it towed back to Mesa. The other girls car...just had the blown tire changed, and she drove away...

We took my mom, who was very shaken up and still in a state of shock into Casa Grande and waited at iHop for my step dad to come pick her up. She just kept saying "I'm so thankful I'm alive".

We got to my mom around 11:45 pm, left for iHop around 12:30, and my step dad got there to pick her up around 1 am. Putting us all back home around 2 am.

Now, after a month and $3700+ worth of damage (luckily the girl had insurance), my mom has her Jeep back. She is ok, and is pretty much fully recovered.

It was a very scary and eventful end to the evening. We were just so grateful everyone was ok.

Mountain View High School Class of 2010

I totally forgot to mention this in my list of events from the past couple of months!

My brother Alan graduated from High School a week after I graduated hygiene school.

I was able to go sit with my family as we beamed with pride for Alan that Thursday. It has been a tough couple of years with Alan and his group of friends and him thinking he can do/doing whatever he wants no matter what anyone else says. Many phone calls home about him not being in class, etc. But he finally made it.

There was no gold tassle that he always swore he would wear simply because I didn't; and it was his quest to be better than me. But he did walk and receive a scholastic diploma from Mountain View High School.

We were all so proud of Alan that night and frankly still are today. He is preparing for his big move to Tucson and into our old house in the next few weeks. He will begin his Freshman year at the University of Arizona in August.

It has been a joy for me to attempt to help Alan along throughout much of his life, not just high school. Many times when he was younger, he would tell our family "Jill's the only one who understands me". I am honored to hold that place in his life. Often times the only one he will talk to about his girlfriend problems. Many times he will tell me things that he would never tell anyone else. I am so grateful for that love and that trust that he has in me as his big sister. Although he can be one of the biggest jerks on earth sometimes, he is my only full brother and I am grateful for the relationship we share.

Many times throughout his high school career he consulted with me about what classes to take, what activities to become involved in, etc. I was always happy to help guide him through and give him my opinion based on my experiences.

And now, as he moves away from home and ventures off to college, it has been the same. I attended his 2 day orientation with him as his "parent" at the beginning of June. I assisted him in registering for classes and jumping through all of the hoops necessary prior to starting college. I guided him and showed him around campus and the student union; pointing out the many important landmarks he would need to remember. In the next few weeks, I will be traveling with my mom back to Tucson to help Alan set up the house, hang his pictures on the wall, buy groceries, find the bank, etc. As trivial as most of these things sound, I am so very grateful for the opportunity to share them with my little brother.

Until his next big accomplishment...

Go Cats!

Dental Hygiene Class of 2010

The day we had been anticipating for 2 long years finally came on Thursday May 20, 2010. Myself, along with about 75% of my class (and about 2000 other graduates) lined up and walked into the Tucson Convention Center to the tune of Pomp and Circumstance.

We were graduating Dental Hygiene School.

What a relief!

It was a very long ceremony, especially when the 2 speakers before the name were read took about 45 minutes on their own. One of them had come from the White House (?) and essentially turned her speech into a political campaign. She even was bold enough to bring up border issues and the new SB1070...at a community college graduation...in a city less than 100 miles from the U.S./Mexico border...

I just went to graduate, not to choose a political party or a side in the great border issue debate.

All in all, I walked across that stage and was so thrilled to have finally completed and accomplished a goal I had been dreaming of for at least 10 years.

Here are a few pictures from the event:

(My bestie from hygiene school Jessica and I)

While it wasn't a huge celebration like my UA graduation was, with only my dad, step mom and hubby attending the ceremony this time, it was still extremely satisfying for me and my classmates. This is what we'd been working toward for 2 very long, arduous years, and we finally made it to the end!

Congrats PCC Class of 2010!

Clinical Boards

I had the great pleasure of taking my clinical board exam in downtown Phoenix on Mother's Day... at 8 am.

Dan and I drove to Phoenix for my "orientation" to the clinic the day before. It was nice because it was at the same location that I took my anesthesia boards at back in March. I was familiar with the layout and location of the clinic which eased my stress a lot. Dan waited in the lobby of the clinic for me while I sat through a 45 minute orientation to the exam and it's specific protocols and procedures.

When we got out to the car to leave, I had a voicemail waiting on my phone. It was from my patient...

My patient Maya, was supposed to drive from Tucson to Chandler that day also (the day before) and was going to stay with her aunt overnight so she would be sure to be to the clinic on time the next morning.

While I was in orientation, she called and left me a message saying that she was on her way out of Tucson and her car overheated. There was no way she was going to be able to get it fixed that day and she was thinking of anything she could to get to Phoenix.

At that moment, I almost had a heart attack/mental break down. I was then intending to turn around and drive back to Tucson to pick her up. She was the only patient I had, and there was no way I would have been able to find another one in 12 hours.

A few minutes later she called again and left another message saying "don't worry Jill, I know I told you my car overheated, but I'm on my way to the bus station now. I will be there. I promise. Don't stress. I'm doing absolutely everything I can to make sure that I'm there for you in the morning. Don't worry, I'll be there"

At that moment, I almost started crying. This sweet girl got herself to the greyhound station in Tucson (which is scary enough as it is), bought a round trip bus ticket, got on a Greyhound and rode all the way to Phoenix, had her aunt pick her up from the greyhound station all just so she could be there for me the next morning.

I had only talked to this girl like twice before this. We didn't know each other hardly at all, but simply because she is a good person she did all of that for me...to come sit in a chair for 3 hours, have 4-5 people poking around in her mouth, get her teeth cleaned, on Mother's Day.

Did I mention she is a single mom of a 2 year old girl?

I was so touched.

Sunday morning came, she was there, on time and all. Just as she promised. The exam went well. I was slightly nervous because I had never seen the inside of her mouth before (a classmate of mine referred her to me as a board patient), and I was doing a section in the mouth that can be hit or miss board quality. But she was golden.

She was incredibly patient and cooperative. Didn't complain at all, about anything. The only thing she asked of me at the end was if I could give her a ride back to her Aunt's house in Chandler. I told her I would take her anywhere she wanted.

Overall, I felt pretty good when I walked out of the clinic that day. I felt like I had definitely done my best and was pretty confident that I would pass. Much like the written exam, I was mostly just relieved to have it over with.

A few days later, I got an email with my results...

I passed!

I needed a 75% to pass this exam as well. All in all, I was very glad that I scheduled my board exams at the beginning of the month and didn't wait until the end like 75% of the girls in my class. By May 12th I had received my results from both exams, and could rest easy and let go of everything while most of my classmates were still cramming.

What a great feeling it was to know that all the sweat and tears I put into hygiene school had finally paid off! It definitely made graduation so much sweeter knowing that I was 100% on my way to my long-awaited career.

National Boards

The last time I updated this blog of mine, I was amidst the daunting task of studying for my National Board exam. Just to give you an idea of what this exam is about, it is like the NCLEX for nursing, the bar exam for lawyers, etc. It is given by the American Dental Association, is 350 multiple choice questions (200 normal MC questions, and 150 case study questions), and includes material from our entire 2 years (or 4 in a University setting) of school plus anything else the ADA thinks we should know relating to hygiene...

I was studying for a good 3-4 weeks straight before the exam. I wish I'd taken a picture of our kitchen table that was basically non-functional as a kitchen table thanks to all of my notes, books, notecards, etc. spread all over it. I went to a few review sessions on different topics that I felt I needed some serious review of (Pharmacology...the only class I got a C in during all of hygiene school, Dental Materials, etc.). By the week before the exam, I was just about studied out. I hated feeling that way, but I was at the point where I knew what I knew, which was a lot, and studying anymore probably wasn't going to do me much good.

The whole week before the exam, I went over my notecards, etc. from the more difficult topics I had reviewed, and just tried to relax. At that point I had learned all the material I was going to, and deep down inside my brain I did have most of the information stored from the previous 2 years of school. I wasn't going to learn anything new in the 2 or 3 days before the exam.

The day before I went to class, where we had a combined baby shower for one of our instructors and one of our clinic front desk girls who were both due to have a baby this summer. I tried to just relax and not think about the exam too much. Many of my classmates asked if I felt ready and if I was nervous for the next day. I replied that I was nervous of course, but I felt as ready as I was ever going to be.

(There were only 5 girls in my class, including myself that took the NBDHE that day. Most of the other girls in my class scheduled theirs for the end of May because they started freaking out around mid-april that they wouldn't be ready by May 6th)

The exam started at 8:30 am on Thursday May 6th. It was all given on the computer, which did make it a little easier I think than if it would have been on paper like it has been for years. We had until 5 pm to finish the exam. We had 3.5 hours for the first 200 questions, then an optional hour lunch break, and then 3.5 hours for the last 150 questions.

The beauty of the computer method also is that you aren't required to take any breaks if you don't want to. Most people would want to take a break anyway just to keep their sanity but it isn't required. I suppose I am one of the crazy ones because I didn't take any breaks. I sat down at 8:30 am and went straight through all 350 questions. I walked out at 1 pm and was completely done. It was rough, but I'm glad I did it that way. When I finished the first 200 questions, I was feeling good and was anxious to keep going. I didn't feel like I needed a break. Generally I am a fast test taker anyway (I was usually the 2nd or 3rd one done in my class everytime). Plus, at 1 when I was done, I was able to go home and spend the rest of the day with my husband (who happened to have that day off) relaxing and celebrating being done with that awful exam.

I felt like I did the very best I could. I surprisingly felt much better about the 150 case studies (which everyone always says are much more difficult). There were quite a few questions that I didn't know, but most of them I could narrow the answers down to 2 and then just take a good guess from there. There were only about 5 or 6 that I completely had absolutely no idea and had never seen the material before.

The exam is graded on a National curve, and we have to get a 75% to pass. Generally this works out to mean we can get a 65% before the curve to pass. They also say (whoever "they" is) that 90% of people who take the exam pass it the first time. I just kept telling myself that and prayed that I passed.

A couple weeks later I received my results in the mail.

I PASSED!!!

It was such a HUGE weight off my shoulders when I got this in the mail and knew that I was done and never would have to endure that exam ever again. All my hard work paid off and it was such a great feeling!